Plastic articles have replaced glass, metal, and wood articles because plastic can be engineered to not shatter, rust, or rot. The durability of plastic articles also creates a disposal dilemma. Also, many plastic resins are made from petrochemicals, which have long-term supply and cost issues.
Therefore, there is a considerable effort underway to find biologically-derived and sustainable sources of thermoplastic resins, preferably those which degrade or compost to also resolve the disposal dilemma.
Polylactic acid, also known as polylactide or PLA, has been explored as a thermoplastic resin from biologically sustainable origins which can replace petrochemically originated resins.